A late addition to the U's squad prior to November's win at his former club Burton Albion, midfielder Paul Carden has been quick to win over U's fans in his brief time at the club.

In his four loan appearances for Cambridge United before being recalled by parent club Accrington Stanley, the midfielder impressed manager Jimmy Quinn enough to earn a second loan spell here after it became clear that he was not set to feature in Accrington's first team plans.

Carden has made over 300 appearances in league football in the Blue Square Premier and the lower reaches of the Football League, and over 350 appearances in all competitions in a career that started with substitute appearances for Blackpool in 1996.

The main bulk of those appearances came at The Deva Stadium for Chester City, where he made 148 league starts and 31 more appearances overall as Chester regained Football League status with him as captain in 2004.

A subsequent spell back in non-league with Burton last season saw Carden named captain of England's National Game XI squad at the end of the season, and after 28 successful appearances for The Brewers he found himself back in the Football League when signing for Accrington Stanley in May last year.

The opportunity to join Cambridge United arrived after just four appearances for Stanley in a disappointing six month spell at The Crown Ground, and Carden reveals that the choice to return to The Abbey wasn't a difficult one.

"There were other clubs, although I don't know if there was any official approach to Accrington. But once I'd been to Cambridge, and I knew Jimmy Quinn from some time ago at Shrewsbury and Alan Lewer from our time at Chester, I didn't really have much hesitation in coming back again," he confirms.

"You only have to look at the sort of support we got at Wolves to see what sort of club this is, and there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes as well."

If Carden still needed any convincing to make the switch to the Newmarket Road club, he displays his list of contacts from his seven previous clubs that helped his decision.

"I've got a couple of friends who used to play for Cambridge - Trevor Benjamin (now at Hereford United) and Alex Russell (at Bristol City) - and they spoke highly of the club. So when players who have played at a high level recommend something then you know that you're going to a decent place.

"When you look at how people like Jimmy Quinn and Alan Lewer are here as well, then there must be something about the club to attract people like that. And then you look at the playing side; there are some good players playing for the club."

Asked of his initial reaction to such colleagues, Carden doesn't hesitate in mentioning some of the current U's crop that he considers to have a big future in the game.

"Obviously there's Scott (Rendell) up front, he's going to do well, he scores goals, he's a good size centre forward and has a knack of being in the right place at the right time.

"Rob Wolleaston, everyone knows of his ability. Reedy on the left, he's got a great left foot. He can do what he wants if he puts his mind to it because good left sided players are in short supply.

"Then there are the young lads, Morrison and Josh (Coulson). They're both good lads, they've both got a big future in the game. Next to Mark Peters and Mark Albrighton they can only learn. The future looks good for Cambridge in terms of the players."

Conversation turns to Carden's own future with the club, and he reveals that he would like his future to lie at The Abbey.

"We'll be discussing it as the season goes on, but I'm enjoying my time in Cambridge. When you're enjoying your football it makes decisions easier," he says.

Although he is on loan here for the rest of the season, circumstances dictate that only half of his training time will be spent with his new team-mates. Living in Liverpool clearly makes it difficult to report to training every day so manager Jimmy Quinn has allowed the player, who turns 29 in March, to spend the first half of the week training with the Accrington squad before travelling down to Cambridge for the rest of the week.

With the season gradually drawing towards its climax, Blue Square Premier sides know which direction they are likely to be heading when the season ends, and Carden shows a refreshingly positive mentality when referring to Cambridge United's end of season ambitions.

"While the club can still win the league, you've got to be looking at saying that we want to win the league. We've got ourselves in a good position for the playoffs, but while the league is still a possibility you have to be ambitious in saying that it's what you're going for.

"We want to be promoted, and if we can do it the so-called 'easier' way by winning it, then that's what we've got to be aiming for."

Carden is reluctant to speak about playing for a contract at either United or Accrington, rather buying into the ambitions of the team he plays for: "The first aim is to win promotion here. What happens after that will be dependant on how well I do and how well the team does."

His wife is pregnant, another reason for Jimmy Quinn allowing him to spend half the week closer to home by training with Accrington. Upon confirmation of the re-signing, Quinn himself commented on the situation which summarises why a loan deal is more beneficial for all parties: "It's a big decision for him and the all-round scenario is much better with him coming on loan first rather than signing a contract straight away."

Given the short notice at which Carden joined the club, he would be forgiven for not immediately fitting in with the rest of the squad prior to his debut at Burton. Most fans who travelled to that evening game arrived to the surprise of seeing an unknown name in the starting line-up, but that isn't something that affected the player himself.

"All the squad gets on, they're good lads, and obviously that's helpful. I actually trained with the squad the day before the Burton match (his signing wasn't announced until match day itself) so I got used to a few faces. It wasn't too much of a problem and the lads made me feel welcome straight away. When there's a club with a good team spirit, it's always easier to fit in."

With a list of former clubs including such established Football League names as Rochdale, Peterborough and Chester City, where he was a part of the Conference-winning team, Carden is well qualified to compare the set-up of Cambridge United to those teams in divisions above.

"I had a spell at, dare I say it, Peterborough, and they were very professional in their set-up. Cambridge doesn't have the same sort of money now as Peterborough, but in terms of how the club applies itself and how it decides to do things, the club is certainly on a par with Peterborough.

"The secretary works hard to ensure that everything is done right on that front, and the manager and everyone is trying to make sure we have the best facilities and making sure we're moving forward."

With this interview taking place a few days after the undeserved loss at Wolves in the FA Cup, Carden was able to sum up the general view held by everyone present:

"Obviously all the lads were disappointed, but none of them were overawed at all. That's a sign of the confidence of the players in each other and in the team. I think we gave more than a fair account of ourselves; to be undone by a dubious decision, shall we say, was disappointing.

"A draw was a fair result, but that's what happens in football. If we can take that kind of performance and our confidence from that game into the remainder of the season, then that can only stand us well."

The midfielder saves special mention for the fans of the club, especially after the showing of 4,000 of them at Molineux.

"When I was at Peterborough they weren't doing so well so we didn't see the best of the fans, and there weren't the best numbers either. At Cambridge, you can sense that this is a big club and that the fans get behind the team. Full credit is due to them because of that."

In closing, talk turns to the future and where Carden sees himself and Cambridge United in a year's time, and fans of the club will be delighted to see his level of optimism for the potential he sees at the club.

"I see no reason for myself personally not to be at Cambridge, and I think the club could be looking at Round Four of the FA Cup and competing at the top of League Two.

"We need to keep challenging for things. It's what we're in football for."

Matt Ramsay

*This interview was originally published in the programme for the match against Droylsden on Tuesday 22nd January, 2008

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